Park City District Reminds Students They Should Feel Safe At School Amid DACA Anxiety

In the wake of the White House’s decision to rescind DACA, the Park City School district has issued a statement to reassure immigrant parents and students that their schools are safe spaces.

The Safe School Resolution makes a promise that Park City schools will not collect information regarding a student’s immigration status. And that the district will not allow immigration officers to enter campus and disrupt the school day.

These precautions aren’t actually tied to DACA but communications director Melinda Colton says after the Trump administration’s announcement there was a lot of anxiety among students.

“They had a lot of questions, a lot of concerns," Colton says.

About 20 percent of Park City’s 5,000 students are Hispanic and any news regarding immigration or deportation, which has been more frequent since the election, prompts discussion.

"Sometimes when these things happen our minds can go to some of the worst instances," says Colton.

Colton says in the past there have been visits from immigration officers to Park City campuses and the board wants to make clear that students will be protected while at school.

Salt Lake City and Granite school districts, which also have high immigrant populations, have reminded their communities that they offer the same protections as well.